Saudi Female TV Presenter Flees her Country over Allegation of ‘Indecent’ Clothing

According to local media, Shireen al-Rifaie, a Saudi presenter with Dubai-based Al Aan TV, has fled the country because she is being investigated for wearing “indecent” clothes while reporting on the end of the ban on women driving in Saudi Arabia.

During her reporting, her abaya, the long robe for women in Saudi Arabia, was blown open by wind. After that, a video was shared thousands of times as the “naked women driving in Saudi Arabia”. Thus, she has been investigated for violating regulations related to clothing.

The woman has denied any wrongdoing in her interview with Saudi news website, Ajel. It is further reported that Shireen al-Rifaie posted a photo of her passport and wrote “I will entrust you to God”. Since she hasn’t been heard, Ajel speculates she has gone to the UAE.

Women in Saudi Arabia are restricted to make basic decisions such as traveling, healthcare and education. They can’t travel without their male guardian’s permission. Right groups believe that it has made them “second class citizens”.

After the new Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, started his kingdom, social and economic reforms have been occurred into the country. In an interview, he said that women don’t have to wear an abaya or headscarf, if their clothes are “decent, respectful” though its endorsement by the kingdom’s powerful religious establishment or a royal decree from the king is not clear.